Retired bank V.P. was active at St. Charles Borromeo

Gerald A. Schwind, 81, a former vice president of Huntington Bank, died Friday in the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, South Detroit Avenue, of complications from a stroke he suffered about three weeks ago.

Mr. Schwind, who lived in South Toledo, served in the Navy during World War II. After his discharge in 1946, he enrolled at the University of Toledo.

He started working part time at Lucas County State Bank in 1949. The job was meant to be a temporary one because he had applied for medical school at the University of Michigan.

He hoped to become a brain surgeon, his daughter, Sue Samberg, said, but his career plans changed when he learned the university was not accepting out-of-state applicants.

Mr. Schwind spent his career at Lucas County State Bank until it was sold to Huntington Bank in 1969. He rose to become a vice president for Huntington before retiring in 1989.

Mr. Schwind served 10 years on the executive committee of the Ohio Bankers Association. He was a member of the American Institute of Banking for 42 years and the Bank Administrators Institute of America for 27 years. He served as president of the Bank Administrators Institute of America in 1977.

He and his wife, Wilma, began dating after a high school dance at St. Charles Borromeo Church. They were married April 15, 1950.

He enjoyed talking shop with his daughter, Karen McLaughlin, who worked in the banking industry in Perrysburg until her death in October, 2006, Mrs. Samberg said.

Mr. Schwind was an active member of St. Charles for 60 years, serving on the school board, parish council, and as president of the church's Catholic Youth Organization athletic program. He was also a lector and Eucharistic minister.

Mr. Schwind volunteered for seven years on the cardiac rehabilitation floor at Toledo Hospital.